...In the novel, Anthem, the author Ayn Rand expresses many different thoughts relating to the central theme of individuality, the idea of how one can be independent and different from others. She allows the reader to view this idea by describing the character Equality 7-2521 as someone who believes that there is more out there for himself and reaching for the highest standards in the context of the novel. The author uses the characterization of Equality 7-2521 to support the theme of individuality. This theme affects the route of the novel by showing that the main character wants to become his own individual and will do whatever it takes to break away from the conformity, including working in tunnels from the forbidden times to sharing his personal...
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...In Ayn Rand’s “Anthem”, a plethora of themes is presented. Ayn writes about a collectivist society at an indeterminable date in the future, but the residents ae lead to believe by the government that this is a utopia. They had lost all individuality and free will to collectivism. So, the main character, Equality 7-2521, tried to change this and instead got cast away by his brothers. He wanted them to thrive. Collectivism is detrimental because human nature is to be selfish, self-reliant, and independent. Through characterization, Rand’s character Equality 7-2521 learns that selfishness is not a sin, but a right. Since Rand grew up in a Communist government she could accurately model Equality off a common citizen under collectivist...
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...Equality, according to Dictionary.com, is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities; this is what societies think is the most vital part to having a great society. The societies in Anthem and "Harrison Bergeron" thought the same way as well, but later realized that it only led to their demise. Both Ayn Rand's novella, Anthem, and Kurt Vonnegut's story, "Harrison Bergeron," focus on the theme of equality, and it is apparent that the theme reveals that being different is wrong, that people are naturally different but are forced to be equal, and that equality is a barrier from individuality, which both suggests that everyone is naturally different; therefore, making the reader know that they should embrace rather than fear their differences among others....
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...The popular phrase, “curiosity kills the cat”, represents a natural feeling that can be fatal. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, a similar theme can be shown, like how rebellious and curious are both natural and inevitable. The theme of Anthem is that rebelling is natural against an oppressive collectivist government, which is shown through the main character, Equality 7-2521, who rebels by breaking laws and revolts against their way of life. Anthem proves that rebelling is natural because Equality 7-2521 breaks multiple laws that go against the collectivist beliefs of the government. The society and government in Anthem have laws in place to make individuality illegal and they brainwash the society to make it seem like a “sin”(Rand 17). Equality 7-2521...
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...What makes one unique? A personality, look, or even intelligence can be the difference between two individuals. Think of a world where none of that exists and everyone is identical. Ayn Rand creates a perfect picture for that. In the book, Anthem, Equality’s primary motivation is his desire for individuality. Like every other human-being the challenge of finding who you really are and what your purpose is, is a rather difficult task to complete. After being strained to be someone he’s not and living off of strict rules the aspiration to establish who he really was, was the fire within him to conduct his experiments. Equality’s experiments were a symbol of his developing self. If everyone in the world were to be like Equality and have the same motivation, the world would be a more developed and efficient environment with very confident individuals. In similarity to Lois Lowry’s book The Giver, Ayn Rand establishes a society with uniformity. Lowry’s book refers to what is known as sameness and is a world that’s only black and white. What’s the point of no color? Color expresses one’s personality when both authors are trying to achieve the theme of equality. Everyone is seen the same and in most ways are the same. Going back to Ayn Rand’s writing, the kids attend a school where...
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...A dystopian society from our point of view, portrayed in Ayn Rand’s Anthem, promotes collectivism, or the practice of valuing the group over the individual. To maintain this mindset, there are numerous rules and restrictions that must be enforced to prevent the people from discovering individualism. These include being prohibited from valuing yourself over others, bonding with the opposite gender, and traveling to the uncharted forest. The most severe crime is articulating the unspeakable word, which is revealed at the end of the novel: ego. The first mentioned sin is to have private thoughts, which supposedly reduces the companionship of the group. Next it is mentioned that no citizen must ever be alone, as this is the root of all evil, because...
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...Imagine a world with no freedom where there is no individuality and equality. Plot of Anthem by Ayn Rand, she talks about this place where is no freedom. The citizens of this place did not even have names, they had numbers and had to do everything together no matter what it is. Equality 7-25271 one of the citizens, is a very interesting man he thinks that each one should be treated as an individual. He started to do things that he should not do like have his own project to work on, spend time with himself alone, and get caught and go to jail. “We put a piece of copper and a piece of zinc into a jar of brine, we touched a write to them, and there, under our fingers, was a miracle which had never occurred before, a new miracle and a new power.”(Rand 52-53). Equality was cutting open a body of a dead frog, the leg was moving. The frog had been hanging on a wire of copper, and it had been the metal of the knife which had sent a strange power to the copper through the brine of the frog’s body. After a lot of exploration equality discovers light which he decides to work on individually to invent a light bulb....
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...Anthem by Ayn Rand Author's Foreword |F.1 |This story was written in 1937. | |F.2 |I have edited it for this publication, but have confined the editing to its style; I have reworded some passages and cut | | |out some excessive language. No idea or incident was added or omitted; the theme, content and structure are untouched. The| | |story remains as it was. I have lifted its face, but not its spine or spirit; these did not need lifting. | |F.3 |Some of those who read the story when it was first written, told me that I was unfair to the ideals of collectivism; this | | |was not, they said, what collectivism preaches or intends; collectivists do not mean or advocate such things; nobody | | |advocates them. | |F.4 |I shall merely point out that the slogan "Production for use and not for profit" is now accepted by most men as | | |commonplace, and a commonplace stating a proper, desirable goal. If any intelligible meaning can be discerned in that | | |slogan at all, what is it, if not the idea that the motive of a man's work must be the needs of others, not his own need, | | |desire or gain? ...
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